Ceiling fans are commonly used to improve airflow in homes and businesses. They work by more evenly distributing air layers near the ceiling that may be warmer or cooler than the layers where people are located. In doing so, they help to reduce energy bills and provide a more comfortable living environment. However, in the transitional seasons between extremely cold and extremely hot weather, such fans sit in an inactive state. As such, the blades and motor assemblies tend to accumulate dust and dirt. Thus, when operation is needed again, the user must spend time cleaning the fan assembly. Even then, a great deal of dust can enter the motor which cannot be removed and may cause premature failure of the fan motor.
Various types of removable fan blade covers have attempted to overcome these disadvantages. These attempts can be seen by example in several U.S. Patents, including: U.S. Pat. No. 5,516,264, issued in the name of Anetrini, which describes a ceiling fan blade slip cover; U.S. Pat. No. 5,591,006, issued in the name of DeMeo et al., which describes a decorative cover for ceiling fan blade; U.S. Pat. No. 5,947,686, issued in the name of Keyes, which describes fan blade covers; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,619,920, issued in the name of Cannon, which describes an adjustable ceiling fan blade cover.
While these attempts may fulfill their respective, particular objectives, each of these examples suffer from various disadvantages, including limitation to only covering the individual fan blades. Accordingly, there exists a need for a means by which ceiling fans can be protected from dust and dirt during extended periods of non-use. The development of the present invention substantially departs from the conventional solutions and in doing so fulfills this need.